Author's Note:

Sorry for the 2 week wait, guys! I was moving into a new apartment and it took up all of my free time. Hopefully this makes up for the long wait! Enjoy!

"Should we run the lasso special or the upside-down taxi instead?"

Nate and Beard stood side by side with their arms crossed and eyes focused on the whiteboard in front of them. Beard picked up the marker and crossed out one of the plays. They had two hours until game time and the players were starting to roll into the locker room.

"Leicester City is aggressive. We'll keep the Lasso Special in our back pockets for now and go with the taxi."

Nate nodded thoughtfully, "We'll probably need to enforce the signal a bit early for Jamie tonight."

Beard looked over Nate's head and stiffened at what he saw, "We might not have to do much to get him going."

Nate turned around in confusion and quickly realized what had caught the defensive coach's attention. Jamie Tartt was standing at his locker with his head down and body tight with tension. The unmistakable bruising around his left eye and temple was obvious under the fluorescent lights.

"What the hell happened, Jamie?" Beard breathed with concern.

"Did you get into it with some wanker at the club?" Isaac asked defensively from his place on the bench.

"We didn't think you showed up last night." Colin chimed in, "We assumed you were with one of your babes."

"Do you need to bring the physician in to take a look?"

"Can everyone just shut the fuck up?" Jamie snarled, keeping his head down with a clenched jaw. "'m fine. Nothin' I couldn't handle."

As a tense silence lulled throughout the locker room, Ted strolled out of his office to check in with Nate and Beard about the plays for the game.

"Holy moly, Jamie! That's quite the shiner you got there." He leaned in closer to take a better look, oblivious to the striker's irritation.

"That bruiser is 'honey, get the t-bone out of the fridge' worthy!"

When Ted's quip was met with more silence, he surveyed the locker room in disbelief. "Come on, now. It's in all the classic movies! The Sandlot?"

The confused murmurs and shaking heads caused Ted to scoff and point to Coach Beard, 'Put that on the list for the next team movie night."

As Beard nodded his approval, Nate hesitated before speaking, "Um, we don't have team movie nights, Ted."

"Well, it's about time we started, ain't it?" Ted looked back at Jamie; the playfulness left his face when her saw how unamused the younger man was. "Anything I need to know about, Jamie?"

Jamie looked up at Ted and from this closely he could see the broken blood vessels surrounding the blue of his eye and the dark purple skin that was just now starting to reduce in swelling. Ted winced the more he looked.

"I said I'm fine, yeah?" Jamie looked off to the side, he couldn't handle the genuine concern Coach was showing him. "I can still see just fine out of me eye, so I'm good to play. It's not a big deal."

Ted wanted to tell him he couldn't care less about Jamie's football abilities at the moment, he just wanted to know Jamie was alright. "Jamie, I-"

"Let's just focus on winning tonight, yeah?" Jamie interrupted with a false smile. "If we break the tie streak, I'll throw a little party at my place. You lads in?"

"Ooh, a party at your house, Tartt?" Dani beamed. "I've always wanted to see where you live, amigo."

"As creepy as that sentence was, Dani, I know you only have good intentions." Ted affirmed for him as everyone stared at him strangely.

"I'll bring the tequila!" Dani grinned, unfazed by the looks of the other players. He walked over and squeezed Jamie's shoulder in encouragement. "And don't worry about the black eye, amigo. The ladies love a dangerous looking man."

"Erm, thanks mate." Jamie awkwardly patted Rojas' on the shoulder in appreciation.

Ted chimed in his agreement, "That's true! Brad Pitt in Fight Club?" He whistled low for effect, "That's one handsome fella."

"It's bloody fucking freezing tonight!" Keeley muttered as her and Alex took their seats next to Rebecca in the stands. "My nipples are as hard as diamonds already."

Alex chuckled at the tiny blonde, "You know Keeley, coats were invented for a reason."

Keeley playfully scoffed, "Then no one would see this fabulous dress I just bought. Fashion isn't about comfort."

Rebecca glanced away from her phone to look down at her friend. "I didn't realize this was a fashion show."

"Easy for you to say," Keeley quipped back with a twinkle in her eye. "You always look like a model with your long legs and toned body. God, I love you."

The two shared a fond laugh together and Alex was quickly beginning to feel out of place. It was so easy for her to feel like the odd one out, even when the other people were doing nothing wrong. Her anxiety always made her feel singled out.

"Alexandra, I must say you look lovely." Rebecca leaned forward to look at the redhead. "You should wear green more often. It really brings out your gorgeous eyes."

Alex blushed deeply, looking down at her emerald, green peacoat her parents got her for Christmas last year. "Thank you, Rebecca. My mom always tells me green is my best color."

"She's a smart woman."

"What's your mum's name?" Keeley chimed in, looking genuinely interested in the answer.

"Her name's Lisa. My dad is Ted's brother, his name is Andrew." She stated casually. "My parents met in college. My dad says he fell in love with her at the icebreaker they had on the first day. They've been together ever since."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Keeley beamed and gave Rebecca a nudge. "Isn't it?"

"Lucky bastards." Rebecca said half-heartedly. "Rupert and I met at a dinner party and the first thing he said to me was you have incredible tits. That should've been the first red flag."

Keeley hummed her contemplation. "To be fair, you do have incredible tits."

"I know." Rebecca straightened her posture even more and grinned proudly.

The stadium abruptly filled with loud chants as the players from both teams entered the pitch. Ted, Nate, Beard, and Roy followed the Richmond team out with a confident strut.

"What do you think will happen tonight, Arlo?" The announcer, Chris Powell, spoke into his microphone with excitement.

"I think it's safe to say it'll end in a tie tonight, Chris." Arlo replied candidly.

"Leicester might make it tough on Richmond tonight though, Arlo." Chris countered, "They've shown quite an improvement with their defense."

"Ah, well it looks like Richmond's offense has been training in defense as well. Would you look at Jamie Tartt? That had to of hurt."

The camera focused on Jamie, showcasing his black eye on the big screen for the whole stadium to see. All three women looked at each other with concern as everyone else in the crowd cheered.

"How do you think he got that one, Arlo?" Chris Powell said light heartedly to the other announcer.

The other laughed, "You know how footballers can be. My guess is he had a few too many at the clubs last night."

"Oh no, Jamie." Keeley muttered as she looked down on the pitch at the striker. "That's not like him to fight. He may run his mouth sometimes but he's not a violent person. Something must have happened."

Rebecca peered down at the footballer as well. "He looks fine to me, Keeley."

The way Jamie Tartt was moving around the pitch made it seem like everything was normal. The air of confidence around him was in full force. In fact, the focus and energy coming from him seemed to be stronger tonight. The striker was acting as if there wasn't a camera unashamedly showing off his injured eye for the whole world to see.

"Maybe you're right." Keeley caved but reached for her phone and started typing. "Roy might know something." After typing out a longer than necessary text, Keeley closed her phone and smiled mischievously at Alex.

"We'll know in a moment." She said breezily as she now focused her attention onto her boyfriend who was standing with the other coaches.

The three women all stared as Roy reached into his pocket and looked at his phone. They were sitting with anticipation of having some information. The former footballer looked up from his phone, found his girlfriend in the crowd, and gave a simple shrug.

They all sighed in disappointment and grumbled to themselves. It was quiet for a while as they watched the game like everyone else in the stands. Alex sat there for a while in confusion before finally having the courage to pipe up.

"Could one of you explain the offsides thing to me? I still don't understand it."

In the end of an electric 90 minutes, Richmond was able to break the tie streak. Most of the plays were made by Jamie and Sam, both scored goals in the second half. Dani Rojas also scored a penalty goal after taking a hit to the knee by one of Leicester's players.

"Ah, that was a bloody good game!" Keeley shouted as her and Alex headed towards the locker room. Rebecca had to call it a night after she was sure Richmond were going to win. They were both buzzing with adrenaline from the win. Alex was so proud of her uncle, watching the happiness on his face as he embraced the team reminded her of his days of coaching in Kansas.

The closer they got to the locker room, the louder the manly shouts of joy became. The walls were practically vibrating from all of the energy. As they turned the corner into the locker room, the first thing Alex noticed was how trashed the locker room was. The players must have stormed in ready to celebrate after the win.

"That was one heck of a game, gentlemen!" Ted grinned from the front of the room. "You should all be so proud of yourselves. You truly earned this one."

The footballers cheered and continued jumping all over the place. Keeley found Roy in the chaos and practically glued herself to his side after they shared a loving kiss. Alex went over to her uncle to give him a congratulatory hug.

"The party isn't over yet, lads!" Isaac stood on the bench to tower over his teammates. "Tartt promised a fucking rager at his place tonight! Let's go!"

They all started grabbing their things and shouted a bunch of excited nonsense. Everyone took turns giving Jamie a playful nudge. He grinned genuinely at all of his teammates. The contrast of the darkness around his eye and his beaming smile gave him an almost deranged look.

"Don't party too hard now, boys! The season isn't over yet." Ted said in a half-heartedly stern manner before turning to look down at his niece. "I'm heading to the Crown and Anchor with Beard for some grub. You coming, Lexie?"

She looked over at Keeley. "I might have plans with Keeley."

Ted shrugged nonchalantly before giving her a loving peck on the forehead and turning into his office to grab his things.

"You're having a party, Jamie?" Keeley piped up from her spot cuddled into Roy's side. "Are we invited?"

"No."

"Of course, yeah."

Roy and Jamie replied at the same time. Keeley focused on Roy, who looked down at her grumpily.

"Come on, Roy!" She practically begged. "It'll be fun."

"I'm not bloody going." Roy all but growled. "It's been a long day and all I want to do is go home and watch The Crown. I just started season 2."

Keeley changed her tactic and replied with a shrug. "Fine. I guess I'll just take Alex. Just me and her, and a bunch of hot footballers." She wiggled her eyes at Alex, who giggled at the other woman's suggestion.

"Fine." Roy gave in after a moment, "but I'm watching The Crown when I get home. Claire Foy is absolutely crushing it."

Alex nervously looked over at Jamie, who still hadn't acknowledged her presence yet. He had his back turned to everyone as he gathered his things out of his locker. His shirt had been removed before they entered the locker room. It was hard to focus on anything but the prominent muscles spanning tightly across his back. Each movement caused them to dance under his smooth skin. Focus, Alex.

"Can I still come?" She asked. Alex hoped things wouldn't be awkward between them now. She was already not great at knowing the opposite sex, and having a guy be obviously uncomfortable around her wouldn't help.

She watched as those glorious muscles tensed, and he gave a single shoulder shrug without turning to face her. "You think you can handle it, yeah?"

"Absolutely."

An hour later she stood outside Jamie Tartt's house, having arrived with Roy and Keeley after they went home to freshen up. Alex's idea of freshening up meant running a brush through her hair and changing out of the shirt she got mustard on at that game. As she watched a girl run out of the front door without her top and a drunken man following with a joint hanging from his lips, she realized this wasn't going to be a casual celebration.

Alex clutched her tubber ware tighter in her hands.

"I can't believe you brought biscuits to a house party, Alex." Keeley chided at her, but with a sliver of endearment on her face.

"It's my mom's secret chocolate chip cookie recipe." She mumbled, as if that explained the action clearly.

Roy gave her a small smile in encouragement. "Don't worry, drunk people fucking love baked goods. I think it was a brilliant idea."

Alex beamed up at the grumpy, retired footballer. "Really?"

"Of course," He confirmed. "Although an even better idea would be to go home so I can watch my show."

"Not happening." Keeley chided, leaving the other two to head inside. "Come find me when your done cowering outside."

Alex watched the tiny women practically twirl into the house. "I wish I was that sure of myself." She blurted out for Roy to hear.

"We all do." He replied gently. "Let's do this together, shall we?" Roy gestured for Alex to go first, and he followed closely behind her.

From what she could see despite the crowd of bodies, Jamie had a lovely home. It didn't have a cozy feeling like Ted's place, but it looked expensive. The undecorated walls vibrated from the loud music and the air was filled with a mixture of cigarettes and sweat. Alex couldn't see Keeley anymore; she quickly lost the smaller woman in the sea of people. Luckily, the gentle push Roy was giving Alex helped her navigate towards the kitchen where less people were occupying.

She met the friendly faces of Colin and Jan Maas, both of which seemed already a bit intoxicated. Their faces were flushed, and their glinting eyes were glossy from the alcohol. "Hi, guys! I brought cookies!" Alex yelled across the kitchen island.

"Alex!" They cheered, then their eyes widened as they saw who was behind her.

"Roy fucking Kent?!" Colin gasped. "You never party with us! Even when you were on the team you always said no!"

Despite the loud noise, Alex could hear the grumble of disdain come out of the man behind her. "Yeah, well, don't fucking expect it to happen again."

Collin and Jan shrugged at each other before Jan offered to get them both a drink.

"Do you have tequila sunrises?" Alex asked in a hopeful tone. She didn't care much for hard liquor, but she found out at a barbeque last summer that tequila and orange juice were something she enjoyed quite a lot.

"Erm, I can try to make one?" Jan said sweetly, "Just tell me what's in it."

Alex started listing the ingredients for Jan when a group of girls entered the kitchen. They all had dark brown, shiny hair and drastic tans. Their makeup may have been a bit too heavy, in Alex's opinion. Regardless of their personal choices, she wanted to make friends here.

"Hello, I'm Alex." She gave them an awkward wave and they just stared at her with clear annoyance on their faces.

"Alex, eh? I thought you were Martha fucking Stewart." The one in front spoke with a scoff as she looked down at the container full of cookies in Alex's hands. She felt her cheeks burn as the other girls laughed.

She began to feel the room getting smaller around her and it was getting harder to breathe. Her eyes shifted around the room, hoping to spot Keeley coming to her rescue.

No. If you want to be a boss ass bitch, you must stand up for yourself.

Alex pursed her mouth and straightened her shoulders as she looked at the unfriendly women head on. "And what did you bring to the party? Besides those terrible spray tans."

The girls stopped laughing and the smiles slipped from their faces and were replaced with vicious snarls. "You little bitch!"

The leader of the group lunged closer to her. As Alex tensed, preparing herself for physical contact, she felt the rush of bodies swarming around her. Suddenly, she was gripped tightly around the waist and walked backwards out of the room.

"Easy, firecracker." She recognized the voice murmuring in her ear.

Jamie?

Alex looked up and saw the amused stretch of his mouth as he kept walking her further away from those intolerable girls. The longer she looked up at him, the better she could see the black eye everyone had been talking about. It was a nasty bruise that made the blue of his eye lighter. She finally snapped out of her staring to put a holt to their movements.

"What are you doing?" She demanded as they stopped off the side of an open room where people were dancing.

He raised his slit eyebrow in a condescending way. "You mean, besides coming to your rescue?"

Her green eyes narrowed instantly. "I didn't need you to rescue me. I can handle myself."

Jamie let out an amused laugh. "Trust me, love. I know you can."

For a moment, Alex thought back to the night of the charity event. Jamie was looking at her now the same way he had when she told that drunken idiot to go away. It was a look she wasn't used to. It was almost like adoration. No, that couldn't be right.

Before she could ask anymore questions, like how confusing his behavior was, he cut her off to say, "Enjoy the party, Alexandra. Try to stay out of trouble, yeah?"

And with a wink, he strolled away to have his own fun. She stood there like an idiot for a few moments, watching him smirk at all the beautiful women he invited, and clap hands with the other athletes both Richmond and not Richmond players. With a sigh, Alex headed back into the kitchen hoping to find a tequila sunrise with her name on it.

Jamie had a fucking headache. Maybe it was the loud music, or maybe it was the black eye he was sporting. All he knew was he couldn't wait until everyone left so he could go to sleep. When he first offered to throw the after party, it was mostly because he didn't want to be alone in an empty house.

"Just give me the fucking money, son." James Tartt's false smile was starting to transform into a snarl.

Jamie held his ground. They stood tensely in his living room with only the couch separating them. His dad's two drunken friends were standing off to the side, ready to jump in if necessary. "I told you, I don't have any."

James Tartt scoffed and started walking around the couch, as if to intimidate Jamie. "You're a fucking footballer, of course you have money" He unleashed a cruel laugh. "How much did you make from the stupid fucking tv show? A million?"

Jamie clenched his jaw and looked away. It was hard for him to tell his father no, but he knew where the money would end up. Either in a slot machine or at a liquor store.

"I only need 200 pounds and then I'll be out of your fancy fucking house and back in Manchester."

Until you need more money, Jamie wanted to say. "What do you need it for?"

James Tartt didn't like his son questioning him like a child. He gritted his teeth, "I lost a bet to some pricks down at the bar. They're giving me until tomorrow morning to come up with the money."

Jamie swallowed hard, his pulse quickening as he knew what would happen as soon as he gave his final answer. "I can't, sorry."

His father erupted in a fit of fury. "What good is it to have a footballer son if he doesn't provide for you?! You're fucking worthless!"

The next movement was a blur for Jamie as his father grabbed the nearest thing to him and threw it at his son with blind rage.

"Hey, Tartt!" Isaac pulled Jamie out of his thoughts as he held up the broken lamp from last night. "Looks like someone's partying too hard, bruv."

Jamie shrugged casually as he took the lamp out of his captain's hands. "No worries, mate. It's not a good party if furniture isn't ruined, eh?"

They're conversation was cut short as their attention turned to the sudden duet taking place in Jamie's living room.

"You're Simply The Best

Better Than All The Rest

Better Than Anyone

Anyone I Ever Met!"

Alex was currently sitting on a very stiff but fashionable sofa, wearing Isaac's designer sunglasses, and singing songs with Dani Rojas.

Damn, she's adorable.

Jamie clenched his jaw at the sudden thought that flickered through his mind. He just couldn't stop it and it frustrated the hell out of him. She was a naïve American who was only in England to see her uncle. Her uncle who Jamie owed his current football career to. It shouldn't be this difficult to ignore her.

"I love Tina Turner," Dani gushed with a contagious smile. "She is a true musical icon where I am from."

Alex sloppily giggled at Dani, "Is sh-she like the Doll-" Hiccup. "Dolly Parton to Americas? We love us some Dolly!"

Dani sat up higher on the couch with a sudden idea. "Let's sing Jolene next!"

Roy Kent sat in the chair two feet away from the drunken pair, ready to end it all. "I am in hell."

Keeley slithered up behind him and gently stroked her hands down his chest. "You wouldn't be if you were drunk."

"Fair point." He begrudgingly agreed, swiping the beer out of his girlfriend's hand to take a gulp.

Jamie tensed as he finally noticed the blonde twat sitting a little too close to Alexandra on the couch. He was a player for Brentford. Not even first string, Jamie scoffed. The two looked awfully cozy with each other. His temper spiked as he watched the twat place a hand on her thigh. Alex shyly brushed him off her and gave an excuse to use the restroom.

Jamie's eyes unwillingly followed her, only turning away when she was completely out of sight. His eyes locked onto Keeley, who looked at him with a knowing gaze. She pursed her lips and raised a challenging eyebrow that said don't fuck with my friend.

He scoffed arrogantly and turned away from the group and allowed himself to get swallowed up by the sea of people still dancing. Jamie kept wading through the room until he saw Alexandra climbing up the stairs to the second floor.

Powerlessly, his body lead him up the stairs as well. It was like he was a lion hunting an unsuspecting gazelle. Only he had no intention of hurting Alexandra. He just wanted to be near her.

He found her standing outside of one of the guest bathrooms, with her hands pressed to her cheeks as if to calm herself down.

"You alright?" His voice startled her, and she jolted with a gasp.

"Jamie," She breathed. "I was just… I just needed a moment."

"Parties aren't really my thing." He remembered her saying that to him at the charity event a few weeks ago.

"Why'd you come if you don't like parties?" Jamie stepped closer to her, standing on the other side of the small hallway to look at her squarely.

Alexandra looked taken off guard by the question but answered honestly, "Because you didn't think I would."

I hoped you would. He thought with a quickening heartbeat. His eyes traveled across her face, taking in the pinkness of her flushed cheeks and glossy green eyes.

They fell into silence as they studied each other. He knew she was trying not to stare at his injured eye, but he didn't mind. He was too busy trying not to stare too long at her full lips, wondering how soft they were.

His eyes fluttered as her hand gently reached out to lightly trace the bruising around his eye. A shiver ran through him as she continued her soft touch. "What happened, Jamie?"

For a moment, he thought about lying. From what he gathered from social media most people suspected he was in a drunken bar fight. It was believable, as it wasn't unheard of for a footballer to lose his temper in a bar. But for some reason, Jamie didn't want to lie to her.

"Me dad." He told her, almost too quietly for her to hear. "He's an alcoholic bastard."

Jamie waited for the pity to take over her beautiful green eyes, but it never came. Instead, she looked at him with a calm understanding, still stroking the sore skin around his eye.

"I'm sorry he did that to you."

He reached up to cup her smooth hand in his rougher one, holding it to his face. "So am I."